


Better Late Than Never

by CatLady86



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Humor, I love these dorks, Kinkmeme, Language, M/M, Slow Burn, Teenage Dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-30 18:12:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12658779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatLady86/pseuds/CatLady86
Summary: The title of Shield was handed to a person when the time was right, chosen by their merits and not their birth. So when it comes time for Prince Noctis' to be selected and Gladio is given the honor, the newly appointed Shield learns the hard way what it takes to do the job.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Adding another one here now, and it's one of my personal favorites I filled. :D

Gladio sits outside the council hall, earbuds in his ears as he jams out to his music in defiance to what he is doing there. He was forced to wear his dress fatigues and cut his hair but was thankfully able to sneak his phone in to amuse himself while the stuffy old fogeys on the council mulled over their choices. The Prince had just been given permission to live away from the Citadel and it was decided that the time had come for him to have a Shield chosen to protect him. So many candidates’ names were put forward, from some of Gladio’s fellow Crownsguards to a few of the rival Glaives, and even his own was added to the list due to his stellar marks; plus his dad being the current Shield helped a bit. He had met the Prince less than a handful of times over the years from being dragged to ritzy parties where they both were in attendance of and too since both he and the Prince were trained by the Marshal; he could tell when Cor had trained the boy beforehand, the man became ornery and liked to use him as a stress reliever by laying an unholy smackdown on the non-royal scrappy youth. Despite all the glamorous perks that come with the title though, Gladio will admit he really isn’t thrilled about the prospect of being chosen as the Prince’s Shield, since it was common knowledge that the teen was sort of lazy and a bit of a spoiled brat. The door opens and one of his comrades steps out, sighing deeply before turning to the young man.

“You’re up Gladio, good luck.” the man says, looking absolutely rattled.

Gladio purses his lips, wondering just what the hell kind of questioning were they putting them through. But he was going to find out as he puts away his phone and smoothes out his jacket before walking through the doors. He stands before the council, his father, King Regis, a young man he’s never met before, and the teenage Prince who gives him a quick look before raising an eyebrow. 

“Gladiolus? Isn’t that a girl's name? I was expecting a hot chick, not some meaty dude with a frou-frou name.” the teen snorts and grins despite the embarrassed looks radiating from the council. “That doesn’t even sound menacing, _Flower Friendship_ , hah!”

But Gladio is not distressed by the teen’s taunting, he’s been razzed since he was a small child for his pretty sounding name, but when he shot up to over six foot while the others were barely even five-five it tapered off. Still, two can play this game.

“It’s actually _Sword Lily_ , Prince _Night Light_.”

This shuts the teen up immediately, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink as some of those in attendance snicker softly. The questioning resumes afterward with him being asked about his training and school GPA, where he likes to frequent and the names of all his friends. Of course the Prince throws in some insults or taunts that get tossed right back by the older teen, not being antagonistic towards each other but more playful.

“Wow, I’m impressed, even for someone with such a dainty little name.”

“What can I say, you’re going to need someone bigger than that ego of yours to keep you safe, Princess.”

A disgruntled throat clears catches both of their attention to one of the members, a perturbed look on his face. “That is all for now Amicitia, we need to look over all our notes and then we’ll send out a notice of our decision.”

Gladio bows and returns the cheeky smile thrown at him by the Prince before exiting the chambers, heading down to the main foray where the other recruits wait. He waves to a couple of his friends before finding a corner to hunker down in, putting his headphones back in and jamming out while playing King’s Knight. Waiting here probably isn’t needed, he doubts they’d pick him since by the look his father was making through the process. He didn’t people well, but apparently the Prince didn’t either since whenever the little brat’s mouth opened the King would cringe. So he continues to play on his phone, oblivious to his surroundings and trying to one-up some little shit on the game who constantly bests his score. _Prince of Pain_ is the person’s moniker, _Pain in the ass_ would be more like it though. An hour passes and Gladio has once again passed his rival’s score, a smug look on his face as he continues to play while not noticing the figure approaching him. He remains clueless, even as the person folds their arms and glowers deeply at him. Without warning, his earbuds are yank out and a swift smack is lobbied onto his head, making him grunt and frown at the man. 

“Sorry sir, didn’t notice you there.” Gladio says, smiling apologetically at the man. 

Cor’s face goes rigid despite the obvious teeth gnashing he is doing. “Well you’re going to need to work on that, it can get the Prince killed.”

Gladio blinks with confusion as gasps, groans, and a couple cheers erupt from the others standing around. The teen looks incredulously at his superior, waiting for the man to burst out laughing and telling him he was bullshitting him. But then again, this was Cor Leonis, the man never joked.

“Uh, wait, so that means-”

“Come Gladiolus, the council wishes to speak with you again.” 

The teen puts his phone away and follows after the Marshal, glancing around at the others who either look to him like he’s a dead man, give him a thumbs up, or glare jealously at him. They make their way back, with Gladio prodding the elder man but gets ignored until arriving back at the council chambers. The doors open and they step inside with Gladio being left again to be stared at by those in attendance. He feels uneasy and tries to force down his nervousness that immediately goes away when he gets a grin and a one finger salute from the Prince.

“Gladiolus Amicitia,” the King says, making the teen salute first and then descend to one knee. “we have reviewed over your files and listened to those speak on your behalf, and after much deliberation, we have decided that from this day forth you-”

“Are my Shield, _Little Flower_.” the Prince interjects, grinning despite the frown his father gives him.

Gladio stands and gives a smug smile to the younger teen. “Well it won’t be too hard covering your puny little body.”

Noctis chuckles softly before leaving his seat to stand before the older teen, coming barely to his chest, and looking up at him. “I like you, we’re going to be good friends.” he says and extends his hand.

“You didn’t spit on that did you?” 

“Nah, that’s gross. Besides, even if I did, Iggy would have disinfected it a second after I done it.” he says and makes a subtle gesture to the frowning teen that was sitting next to him from before. 

Gladio nods and takes the Prince’s hand and gives a firm handshake. But he catches the glint in the smaller boy’s eyes and immediately parries the attack Noctis attempts on him, tossing the teen over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and holding him there while ignoring the scandalous gasps from some of the others in attendance. The Prince laughs happily and wiggles about, managing to situate himself to where he is piggyback on the older teen.

“Hey Dad, I’m probably taller than you now.” Noct snickers and grins.

The King's face softens and a pleasant smile spreads onto his lips. “It would seem so.” he says and then turns his attention to the newly appointed Shield giving him a sympathetic look. “Gladiolus, I pray you will do well in your new duty.”

“Thank you your Majesty.” he says and bows, grinning as he shifts his weight to the side. 

This sends the teen tumbling off his back but he is pulled to the ground too when the glompy youth grabs him around the neck and spindles his legs around the man’s torso, then with some unforeseen strength forces them both down with a chuckle. 

“I have bested the Flower Giant.” the teen snorts and sits triumphantly on the man’s back. “All stand in awe of the mighty Noctis Lucis Caelum, feller of foofy named behemoths.”

Gladio shakes his head and groans, wondering just what the hell he really has been dragged into.


	2. Chapter 2

Gladio’s eyes slit vehemently at the teen before him, the smug little shit grinning ear to ear. 

“I win again, _Daisy_.” 

Gladio grits his teeth, looking down at his phone and seeing that his score on level eight of King’s Knight had been beaten by the brat, who he found out was the _Prince of Pain_ ; how damn fitting. 

“Well of course you did, you’re able to hit targets quicker on the screen with those dainty little girl fingers of yours.” 

That gets him a dainty middle finger as the teen turns back to his phone. It had been almost a week since he was assigned to be the teen’s Shield, and he already feels done with this shit. While he is getting more training from both his father and Cor which is fun for him, as soon as the Prince’s school day is over Gladio is there to follow after him and keep him safe; and his family jewels untouched by potential gold diggers since the teen has a large following of groupies. It doesn’t help, though, the little prick likes to call him a pervert in the middle of a crowd to get him surrounded and then try to flee so he can skulk off some place he shouldn’t. But what the brat doesn’t realize is Gladio was given a badge denoting his status so it clears the mob quickly, even though it can bring an even bigger threat when it’s known he’s with the Prince. He has to keep reminding himself he’s supposed to be protecting this little shit, not want to wear him as a shoe. But at least he has an ally to share in his misery with, and he gets good food too.

“Well I think it’s time those little fingers put down the phone and start on homework.” Ignis says as he sets down a freshly made pastry dessert the Prince immediately snatches up greedily. The Advisor shakes his head and hands one he kept hidden to the Shield before retreating to the kitchen to begin cleaning. “I will test you on what you did later Noct, so don’t think you can pretend to do it.”

“Ugh, such a mom friend.” Noctis whines and flops over the side of his armchair. He looks with a pout to the eldest in the room, eyeing the pastry he holds, then turns his pleading eyes back to the man.

Gladio grins and points to the treat, mouthing _‘you want this’_ and gets an enthusiastic nod. The Shield grins evilly and sticks his tongue towards the pastry, watching as the teen goes wide-eyed before he stops and points at his backpack. In a flash, the teen has his homework out and is cracking away at it, side-eyeing the older man to make sure he isn’t defiling the treat. This, will give Gladio some leverage now when he wants to make the teen behaves himself, even if it isn’t appropriate to dangle a prize in front of the teen like this. But hey, as long as it doesn’t kill him or steal his innocence, it’s fine. The Prince eagerly finishes his homework and attempts to retrieve his prize, but Gladio decides to dish some shit back and holds it out of reach of the much smaller teen, by standing up straight and holding it in the air as Noctis futilely attempts to jump for it. 

“Come on you asshole, I did my homework, so gives the treat.” he snaps and jumps up to try and grab it, only reaching to the man’s extended elbow. “Dammit you giant snack withholding cocktease, give me!”

“Noctis, language!” Ignis snaps but then turns an annoyed eye to the elder man. “I would have thought someone of your pedigree would act more reputable than to antagonize someone younger than them as you are now.” 

“I have a little sister, she shrieked and ripped out any goodwill for youngsters I have.” Gladio says and still holds the pastry hostage. 

“I’m going to shriek and then rip out your hair if you don’t give me my pastry, _Daffodil_.”

Gladio takes his teasing to the final level and gives a quick lick to the underside of the pastry, watching as the Prince’s eyes go wide before slitting, making him look like a very angry cat. “Still want it?”

The answer is, that he finds out not very pleasantly, is yes. The Prince begins his ascent up the large man’s form, hooking his ungodly strong legs around the man’s chest and grabbing hold of his arm. Then, like some deranged and rabid animal, bites Gladio’s forearm to make him drop the dessert that Noct snatches up with glee. The teen trots away triumphantly, taking a huge bite from the pastry as Gladio looks with mortification at the glasses wearing teen who just shakes his head.

“I dare say that is your fault and I will not waste aid on your wound.” he says and then gives a grin. “Do not worry though, he is up to date on his shots.”

Gladio grumbles as he rubs his bruising arm then looks at the teen as he stuffs his face gleefully with the pastry. He looks much younger than fifteen at this moment, but that could be in part to the way he’s mauling his snack, looking like Gladio’s little sister when she was five and tearing into a piece of pie. It’s almost cute and endearing. 

“What are you blushing for there, _Blossom_?” Noctis says tauntingly as he laps at his fingers.

“Oh, I was just thinking of your feminine physique that will sadly be ruined since you keep stuffing your face with all those pastries. We’ll have to change your name from _Prince of Pain_ to _Prince of Pudge_. Or Pudding, you look like a Pudding.”

“Ugh no, I hate mushy desserts.”

Gladio makes a mental note to pick up some mousse later to eat in front of the teen. He heads back over to the couch, plopping down but keeping an eye on the younger teen who has taken a sudden playful look with him. He acts oblivious and picks up his book to begin reading, then tosses it onto the coffee table and pins Noctis across his lap after the youth attempted to pounce him.

“What do you think Ignis, give him a good spanking?”

“Hey come on! I just wanted to play!”

“He might enjoy it too much.” 

“You’re both mean!” Noct says as he tries to wriggle free. 

Noctis takes the quick opening when Gladio loosens his grip on his wrists and latches onto the man’s head like a octopus, using that unknown strength of his to barrel roll the larger man off the couch with him and start wrestling with him on the floor. Ignis rolls his eyes and ignores the two men having a mini MMA match on the floor, them both laughing and taking turns pinning each other. 

“You’re both worse than toddlers.” he grumbles under his breath as he dries the newly washed dishes off.

“Just having some fun Iggy, you ever heard of it?” Noct teases and then joyfully laughs as Gladio hooks his large arms around his waist and flips him over like a turtle, legs and arms flailing in the air uselessly. 

“Oh I’ve heard of it, enjoyed it too before I started babysitting you full time.”

“He got you there, Princess.”

“He wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he wasn't taking care of me.” 

“Really?” Ignis quips, accepting the Prince’s challenge. “I could write many memoirs, travel the world learning all sorts of new recipes, learn to play an assortment of instruments-”

“Okay, I get it.”

“Partaken in theater performances, volunteer at the local shelters, start a book club-”

“All right, geez!” Noctis pouts and then yips as he gets hoisted up by his Shield, back bent at an odd angle. “Whoa, hey! Ow, ow!”

“Gladio be careful, his back isn’t well and you may really hurt him.”

“Ah, he’s fine, right kid?” he says but then stops and turns slightly pale when he sees the true pain in the teen’s eyes that he tries to hide away, but the tears that are bubbling forth give him away. “Shit.”

Gladio gently sets the teen onto the floor in a sitting position, kneeling down behind him and rolling up his shirt. There is an old gnarled and painful scar slashed across his back, something Gladio was never told about before. He looks guiltily at the trembling body before him and recalls back to when he would get sore limbs or muscles, pressing his thumbs into the teen’s back with a slight bit of pressure and begins to rotate them. 

“Geh.” is all the teen can get out before he settles and smiles contently, his pain slowly melting away.

“There we go.” Gladio says and then tosses a quick glance at Ignis, the man scowling as he grips a medicine bottle. “Put that away, he doesn’t need it.”

“His back gets really bad to where he has trouble moving, this helps him.”

“He seems to be doing better now.”

Ignis goes to protest but watches as the young teen revels in the massage he’s getting, hands clenching and unclenching akin to a cat kneading. The Advisor sighs and puts the pill bottle away before returning to his prior task.

“Hey, sorry kid, had no idea you had a bad back.” Gladio says and moves his hands up to Noctis’ shoulders.

“Ah, yeah. Got attacked when I was a kid, it was an assassination attempt. Not as bad as it was then, but it bothers me when it starts to rain or if it’s bent a certain way.”

“Wish I was told this.”

“Why, so you could have treated me like a delicate little glass figurine too?”

“Nah, could have gotten some of my massage oils that I have for after an extensive workout.”

“After workout oils? Seriously? I’m sure I know what kind of oils you really have.” the teen says, getting his tease on now that he’s starting to feel better.

“Psht, you wish.”

The two chuckle and strike up a civil conversation as Gladio continues to give the teen a soothing massage, with Noctis elaborating more about the attack that nearly left him paralyzed and how he struggled to overcome his disability with great determination. Gladio finds the teen’s story truly awe-inspiring, and silently makes an oath that guarantees his Prince will never have to go through anything like that ever again, even if he himself ends up hurt in the process. 

“You’re blushing again there, _Lilac_.” 

Well, he’ll try any.


	3. Chapter 3

Gladio stands before the council, the King, and his Father; the man’s face contorted in exacerbation but with a slight hint of pity for his son. It’s the Shield’s fourth performance review and while he thinks he’s been doing quite well these past few months, the looks coming from some of the stuffy suites say otherwise. 

A man with a thick beard purses his lips and places a pair of bifocals onto his face as he looks down at the paper before him, then glances at the young man before them. “Young Master Amicitia, would you care to elaborate why you believed taking his Highness to a club on a school night was the appropriate thing to do?”

Gladio lets a small smile slip forth, remembering what a blast it was going there with the ecstatic teen. But the scowl sent his way snaps him from his musings and he stands up stiffly.

“His Highness had kept trying to sneak off on his own to go there, so I decided that taking him myself to experience it would sate his curiosity while also lessening the burden of the guards that have to scramble to follow after him.”

“It has actually.” an elder woman, who Gladio surmises has the hots for him since she likes to ogle him whenever he enters the room and tends to stick up for him when he is being assailed, says as she looks to the report before her. “There has been a dip in security issues since Gladiolus has been placed as his Highness’ Shield. Even though he still likes to try an escape sometimes, instead of sending a half a dozen guards to find him you manage to keep him in line.”

“All right, but what of the unauthorized fishing trip to the outskirts, that could have been quite dangerous.”

“The Prince wished to surprise his Father and the staff with a nice fish dinner, so I took him fishing and helped him haul his catch back. But I took the necessary precautions beforehand. I scouted the best spot, made sure there were no places an assailant could hide or attack, made escape route plans, and even had his Highness practice what to do if someone would come after him.” Gladio says with pride, even more so when some on the council chatter with awe. He does, however, not mention how the little shit of a Prince warped kicked him into the water after he made a dick joke at the teen’s expense; he also learned the hard way that water and leather pants don’t play nice. 

“What of permitting his Highness and an acquaintance to dress as girls to see a movie with you and Mr. Scientia, then sneak in and out at a different showing?”

“It was a rom-com and it wouldn’t look right for four dudes to be there that aren't couples. Not to mention they would have gotten swarmed by hormonal teen girls, the other was to help Noct practice his stealth tactics since he fails miserably at it. Now if he ever gets into a situation where he needs to flee undercover, he’ll know what to do. Plus I paid for a ticket and informed the theater owner so he wasn’t breaking any laws.” 

“And taking him to Galdin for a weekend without informing anyone beforehand, was for?”

“It was a surprise, he pulled his Math grade up to a seventy-five and his Science to an eighty-eight, I wanted to reward him with a nice fishing expedition away from all the noise. Plus I did tell Ignis who helped me set everything up and informed his Majesty who gave permission and helped kept it a secret.” 

“Well then, you seem to have reasonable comebacks for all your shenanigans, but do tell us, what was the life lesson or great need to give his Highness a smut movie?”

Gladio’s mind goes blank. That, was more of a joke that stemmed from some questions and then brought about a revelation on the Prince’s end. It began when Noctis had called him _‘Rosey’_ the other day and Gladio snipped the only thing _‘rosey’_ was the younger teen’s palm. This lead to an argument with the Prince showboating about what a stud he was and all his experience, until Ignis called him out on his bullshit and said his sock girlfriend would be heartbroken. Gladio has since started referring to Ignis as _‘Burn Master Scientia’_ , he rather likes it too. But after sitting down and talking with the younger teen, he had let it slip that he was beginning to question what he liked and since his web browsing was scrutinized after it was discovered the girl he was cybering with the year prior was actually a middle-aged man, he asked Gladio for any info. That was when the older teen got the brilliant idea to let him borrow one of his movies that had a plethora of different scenarios that may peak the teen’s interest, then maybe it would give him a clue to what he actually liked. But it’s not like he can blurt out to the council of elders that their future King can’t decide if he likes chicks, dicks, or chicks with dicks. 

So with a forced smile, he decides to try some of his humor on them since it seems to calm Ignis’ wrath, most of the time. “Well, at least there won’t be any potential baby-mama drama due to raging teenage curiosity hormones, not to mention the tissue and lotion market will boom.”

The room goes silent as the old people sitting before him look as if a Goblin just tapped danced naked across the tabletop, with horror and bewilderment. The face his Father makes though sends the teen into fight or flight mode, debating if he should crash through the large ornate window and attempt to escape to the desert with his life intact or drop to his knees and commit harakiri for bringing shame to his family. But then a strange sound breaks the silent tension, a sound like someone is trying but failing miserably not to burst out laughing. Eyes turn slowly to the red-faced King, lips pressed together in a thin line and tears forming in his eyes as he tries, oh so tries, to control himself. Besides the cougar, the King also takes his side in issues, much to the chagrin of the others. But unlike the dirty old bird, his reasonings are because his son has perked up considerably since Gladio had become his Shield and he wants his son to be happy. 

“Well then, Gladiolus,” the King stammers out, grin still streaked across his face as he tries to keep himself composed. “I must commend you for your forethought on the potential of illegitimate heirs, not to mention those companies you mentioned would probably be thrilled to know of the noble man’s deeds who helped their businesses flourish. They may even name products after you.”

It’s Gladio’s turn to keep down laughter and try to hold his composure together from the King’s words, but too from the scandalized looks the others wear. And since this meeting has turned into a shit storm anyway, it was no surprise when the door is shoved open abruptly with the little Prince storming in and looking around before grabbing the older teen’s arm as he brandishes a paper.

“Look you big asshole, I did pass my history test, and with an A too. So screw ice cream or cake, I want an ice cream cake.” the Prince demands and then looks to the council with irritation. “Enough with these shitty-ass reviews, he doesn’t need em’. I’m alive and about to get my ice cream cake game on.” he snaps and before another peep can be uttered, Noct drags his Shield from the room and kicks the door shut. “Geez, why do they keep bugging you for this stupid shit. You’re doing an awesome job being a cool bro.”

“That’s the problem, I’m being more of a friend than a Shield who will make you into a strong and respectable King.”

“Psh, we have years for that. Right now, I want to enjoy myself with an awesome friend.”

“I’m sure you say that to Iggy and that blondie too.” Gladio teases.

“Well they're awesome for completely different reasons. Ignis is the one who cooks food and cleans up after me while Prompto keeps me company during school and we play games.” Noct says and turns slightly red. “But I have the most fun with you, you let me do awesome and dumb things I couldn't before while also keeping me safe.”

“Awe shucks kid, you know how to make a guy feel special.” the older man chuckles with his cheeks dusting pink and ruffles the teen’s hair. “Oh, by the way, how the hell did they find out about the porn I let you borrow?”

“Oh, yeah.” Noct says and turns an even deeper shade of red. “Apparently there was movement detected in my apartment while I was at school and when no one should have been there. Cor was nearby and went to investigate, finding that I left my balcony door open and some birds got inside. After removing them he did a sweep of my apartment and found the DVD case. Said he knew who it belonged to right off the bat.” 

“Well of course the jerk would know, he found my stash after my Dad convinced him to rummage through my stuff since they thought I was doing more illicit things. I kept telling them it was just an air freshener this Glaive lady gave me for relaxation.” Gladio grumbles but then gives the teen a curious look. “So, did it help you any with your questioning.”

“Hmm, maybe.” Noctis says coyly and runs ahead.

“Hey!? Don’t leave me hanging, tell me!”

“Nope!”

“Come on Noct, I wanna know if it’s a type that I can kick their asses easily or if I have to get that Glaive lady to do it since I won’t put the fear of the Astrals into a woman, goes against my code of honor.”

“Oh so chivalrous.” the Prince snickers and continues running.

He eventually runs out of steam despite his bodyguard barely even breaking a sweat and allows the man to snatch him up but still refuses to divulge his secret. Instead, he whines at the older teen until he gives in and gives him a piggyback ride to the local creamery to procure the Prince’s prize. Noct lets a soft sigh of contentment escape him as he rests his head on the larger man’s shoulder, but then perks up slightly and presses a quick kiss to Gladio’s cheek before laying his head back down.

“You’re the best Gladio.”

“Glad to of service Noct.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoot! Thank you all for reading and the comments, enjoy! :D

Gladio’s head throbs terribly, but it doesn’t compare to the pain he’s feeling in his chest; his heart. It was the one year anniversary of him becoming the Prince’s Shield and the younger teen wanted to have a big celebration to mark the day. So Gladio arranged for the two of them, Ignis, and Noct’s skittish friend Prompto to hit up the local dive bar for a nice, non-alcoholic, get together. It had started out well; even if the teen harrumphed at first it wasn’t just the two of them; with them shooting pool, eating greasy food, dancing badly, and making fools of themselves riding the mechanical Dualhorn. It was nice and he got to see the Prince’s face really light up and enjoy himself. It made his heart flutter and him really start to question himself again as he has been the past few months. But something went wrong later on, something Gladio had stupidly not noticed before it was too late. Noct was up in some drunkards face, telling him off for something; Gladio still has no clue what about; then the drunk shoved the Prince which got him a drink to the face. That’s when Gladio heard the sound of a bottle being smashed against a table and his instincts kicked into overdrive. He put himself between the drunk and Noctis in the knick of time, saving the smaller man from getting attacked just as he was assigned and vowed to do. The drunk had been escorted out along with most of the other patrons before being taken into custody and Prompto had also been taken home leaving Gladio with the other two as the Crownsguard shuffles in to assess the situation. Thankfully the Prince was unharmed physically, emotionally though was another story. 

“I’m sorry.” Noct whimpers and then lets out a choked sob as he continues to hold onto the older man tightly, like he’s afraid if he lets go he’ll lose him. 

“Nah, I shouldn't’ have let the situation of gotten that far.” Gladio says and lulls his head back with a slight dizziness, wincing as he pulls his hand away from his left eye to look at the towel he had covering it, finding it already soaked with blood. “Damn, it still hasn’t stopped.”

“Well you do bleed more from head wounds and the gash is deep.” Ignis interjects as he swaps out the bloodied cloth for a clean one. “But it should stop once it’s cleaned and stitched up.” he says and then looks to the latched on Prince with a frown. “Noct, you need to release Gladio so he can stand up. It wouldn’t be right for him to have to pick up your weight and carry you when the ambulance arrives.”

But Noctis makes a pitiful noise and holds on tighter to the older man, with Gladio snorting slightly and rubbing his back. Ignis sighs and shakes his head, going to see if any of the Crownsguards have a medical kit on them so he can patch up his older friend himself; since the ambulance is taking it’s sweet damn time and Noct won’t let Gladio up.

“I’m sorry.” the teen cries out again and nuzzles his face into the older teen’s shirt.

“Come on kid, it’ll be alright. Just means I’ll have a sexy scar now.” he says trying to lighten the mood but gets a pitiful look from the Prince. “I said it’s fine, but tell me what started this.”

Noct clams up and looks away from the other man, his cheeks turning pink. “The guy was a jerk and said some nasty things.”

“Like?”

“He was bad mouthing you, said he could kick your ass and stuff.”

“So you decided to defend my honor?” Gladio chuckles but stops when Noct whimpers. “Look, your safety and wellbeing is the utmost importance, and I will always be there to protect you. But you can't go picking fights with people over stupid things. Besides, if he was talking shit it means I’m awesome and he’s jealous of me.”

Noct seems to relax from this and smiles softly. “You are awesome Gladio.”

“Thanks. And who knows, you keep hanging with me and you might gain some of it.” 

“Seriously?” Noctis says and chuckles, mood picking up considerably. “I already am way more awesome then you will ever be, _Tulip_.” 

Gladio snorts and snatches Noctis by his nose, giving him a little jostle before letting him go and smiling softly at the Prince. The younger teen’s face is no longer downtrodden, but filled with fondness as a soft pink tinges his cheeks.

“Hey uh, I know this isn’t the best time but-” Noct begins, but chokes up with his cheeks darkening further. “I wanted to let you know what I found out, back with that movie.”

Gladio blinks with confusion at first but then it registers what he meant, the porn. Why was he bringing that up now all of a sudden? Gladio had harassed him about it for an entire week but the teen kept brushing him off or flat out telling him it wasn’t his damn business. He had figured it was probably something really out there or potentially scandalous so he let it go after a while. Was Gladio starting to look like he was going to pass out and Noct wanted to try to keep him coherent with some tasty tidbit? 

“Oh yeah? So what is it then, girls or boys?”

Noctis gnaws a bit on his lower lip before looking to the paling man before him. “I umm, well you see it’s, uh, I actually like y-”

“The ambulance still hasn’t come, but I was able to find a medical kit so I can- Highness why do you look so flushed? Are you well or is all the blood making you ill?”

“No, that’s not it.” Noct pouts as he looks about ready to cry.

“Kid was about ready to confess his love for me until you swooped in.” Gladio teases, not noticing the mortified look from the younger teen.

“Oh really?” Ignis says, a cheeky smile on his face. “Thank the gods, he’ll finally stop ambling about like a lovelorn woman in those trashy Harlequin Novels. It’s damn exhausting.”

This causes Gladio’s mind to malfunction. “Wait, what?”

But before it can be elaborated on, Ignis snatches away the newest blood-soaked cloth and presses a clean one to the wound. “I know you have a tremendous pain tolerance, but do you wish for me to use numbing?” he says and pops open the lid to the medkit. 

“Oh uh, I should be fine. But what did you-”

“Gladiolus!?” a slightly panicked but still monotonously deep voice calls over the chatter of the guards standing about. Clarus looks about, for once not dressed in uniform but civilian clothing, before spotting his son and frowning deeply. But then he notices the little teen curled up in his son’s lap and a prideful smile tugs at his lips. “So I assume when they said you were assaulted by a drunkard it wasn’t your ego that got you stabbed but from protecting his Highness?”

“Well yeah, can’t have his baby-face getting scarred up.”

An undignified whimper escapes from the youngest teen as he finally dislodges himself from Gladio after Ignis pokes at him enough to budge him and begins to sulk away, making noises like a mewling puppy as he does. Gladio goes to get up to follow him but gets shoved back down by Ignis.

“Stitches first, then you can go sweep him off his feet and console him.” the Advisor says and snaps on latex gloves before he takes out a sterile needle and thread. “Since you don’t want any numbing, want something to bite onto instead?”

“No, just get on with it.” Gladio sighs, wanting to get it over with so he can go check on Noctis. 

Ignis begins the arduous task, doing well despite Papa Amicitia standing behind him and watching him work intently. Gladio gets done being stitched up with some salve and a bandage wrapped around his eye before he is set loose just as the ambulance finally arrives. They attempt to corral the man into the vehicle, since he had lost quite a bit of blood and they wanted to monitor the wound in case of infection, but he puts up a fight until his Father drags him to the ambulance. He begrudgingly gets inside once his elder promises to make sure Noctis returns home safely and rests back against the stretcher, sighing to himself as the vehicle starts up. But he isn’t alone in the back for long, when the door pops open and in jumps the Prince just as the ambulance sets off.

“The hell? Did you really ditch my Dad?” 

“No, he snatched me up under my armpits and carried me over to the ambulance. Then gave me a nudge towards it, told me to move my ass and quit pussyfooting around.” 

“He really said that?”

“No, it was more eloquent and fancy, guess I know which parent named you then.” Noct teases and gets a flick to his arm. But then he fidgets a bit and blushes before he tentatively reaches out to hold Gladio’s hand. “I’m sorry I acted like a child and got you hurt.”

“Well I’m not surprised, it is you. But too, it’s my job to take wacks for you, that’s the duty of a Shield.”

The Prince purses his lips, rubbing a finger over the man’s much larger hand. “But what if I want you to be more than just a Shield, and a friend?”

The brunette feels his heartbeat increase rapidly and a warmth overcomes him. “I will still lay down my life for you.” Gladio says and smiles. “And don’t worry, it’ll take a lot to knock me down and I won’t die that easily. I won’t leave you and will always stay by your side. But to answer your question in the most simplistic way and any other you may ask on the topic, is yes.”

Noct smiles happily and presses Gladio’s hand to his cheek, nuzzling it before allowing him to cup his face. He leans in and presses a soft kiss to the older man’s lips before sitting back only to be pulled back in for a longer one. Gladio gives him a nose nuzzle before carefully resting their foreheads together and smiling, looking into his Prince’s sparkling blue eyes.

“You know, you should have just told me when I first asked you what you found out.”

“I was too nervous.” Noct says and pulls back before pecking him on the tip of his nose. “How come you never said anything to me though?”

“Because you’re the Prince and I didn’t want to be sent to the guillotine for coming on to you, also didn’t want people to think I was coercing you into doing things against your will or corrupting you. I still get comments about the porn.” 

“Ah, that would make sense. So are we going to have to keep this a secret?” 

“Not really, but it wouldn’t be tactful to make out in front of large crowds, can’t make everyone die from jealousy.” Gladio says and then takes on a serious tone. “But you know some things will have to wait.”

“I understand.”

“So that means you can take your time before breaking it off with your sock girlfriend.” he says and gets a swat on the shoulder. 

Noct snickers softly and presses a quick kiss to the bandage over the man’s left eye, then rests his head on his shoulder. “My flower.”

“And you are my light.” 

“Dork.”

“Back at ya, Princess.”


End file.
